Constitution
Revised 04/15/2004
Preamble
The goal of the Gay-Straight Alliance is to promote mutually
supportive relationships among all students and members of the surrounding
community in the interest of advancing campus and community diversity. We
believe that Florence and the University of North Alabama are strengthened by
the diversity of people and ideas and that each person has worth and should be
treated with dignity and respect.
Article I: The Organization
Section 1:
The name of the organization shall be the Gay-Straight
Alliance (“GSA”).
Section 2:
The purpose of the organization is as follows:
a: to provide support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
people, their friends and supporters;
b: to educate the campus and community about gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender issues and;
c: to establish a campus and community environment free of
prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender
d: and to actively encourage student activities which foster
a positive, supportive, and thoughtful community.
Article II: Membership
Section 1:
a: Membership in this organization shall be open to all
persons regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, sex,
gender, religion, age, physical handicap, marital status, veteran status, and/or
any discriminatory factor prohibited by law.
b: Membership in the organization can be denied or terminated
if it is determined by the majority vote of the present voting members at a
special meeting that an individual's actions or intentions are in any way
harmful to the goals of the organization.
Section 2:
Voting privileges are granted to those members that meet all
of the following criteria:
a: Member must attend two (2) consecutive meetings;
b: Member must have read and signed a copy of the
constitution;
c: Member must have paid dues of $5.00 for the semester.
d: Member must register his/her name, email address, and/or
telephone number.
Section 3:
In order to preserve each individual member's right to
privacy, any formal or informal membership lists are to be kept in the strictest
confidence. Any member(s) who releases the name or contact information without
consent of that particular member is subject to immediate removal from the
organization.
Article III: Executive Officers and Elections
Section 1: Elections
Election of officers for the following academic year will be
held on the second to the last general meeting of spring semester. Volunteers
will be accepted for a period of two (2) weeks prior to the election. Voting
will be by secret ballot. The Advisor of the organization should preside over
elections. If the Advisor is unable to do so, a non-voting member will be
selected to preside over the election. A simple majority of the voting members
present shall determine the winner. Officers assume duties at the closure of the
meeting in which they are elected.
Section 2: Term of office
A term is one (1) year. A member can only hold a particular
office for two consecutive years.
Section 3: Officers
a: President:
The president shall have the responsibility to preside over
meetings, coordinate programs and activities for the organization, and perform
other duties as required. The president will facilitate group discussions,
obtain guest speakers for meetings, and coordinate programs (i.e. campus wide
speakers or programs). The president shall also oversee the regular maintenance
of the group’s website, whether directly or by delegation.
b: Vice President:
The vice president will keep a current list of all the voting
members. The vice president will also be responsible for inviting new members
through such means as membership drives in addition to facilitating all social
functions and activities outside and during regular meetings (i.e. parties and
icebreakers).
c: Secretary-Treasurer
The secretary-treasurer shall keep an account of all
organization meetings, both general and executive, proceedings, and all records,
financial and otherwise. The secretary-treasurer should also be in charge of
communication between members and the executive board (i.e. mail-outs and/or
e-mail to and from members). The secretary-treasurer shall keep an accurate
record of all the organization's financial dealings, including fundraisers, and
shall give a detailed report at regular meetings.
d: Communications Coordinator:
The communications coordinator shall act as the official
representative of the organization. S/he shall be empowered to make statements
on behalf of the organization to the public unless restricted by vote of the
membership. The communications coordinator is also in charge of organizing
educational panels.
Section 4:
If a question over the delegation of these responsibilities
arises or a question of policy cannot be agreed upon by the Executive Officers,
the question should be decided by a majority vote by the voting members present
at the meeting at which the issue arises.
Section 5: Delegation of power for vacant officer
positions
a: In case a vacancy of the president, the vice president
shall be in charge until the vacancy is filled.
b: If both the president and vice president positions are
vacated, then the secretary-treasurer will act as the temporary president until
one or both positions are filled. Next in the order of succession is the
communications officer.
Section 6: Filling officer vacancies
In the event of an officer vacancy, nomination will be taken
at the next meeting, and the election will be held at the following meeting to
allow for notice of the election. Reasonable attempts must be made to notify all
voting members in writing (i.e. email) or by phone of the nominations and the
proposed election date.
Section 7: Officer removal
In the event the membership feels that an officer is
mishandling her/his duties in the office, a written letter should be presented
to the Advisor. The Advisor will then have a conference with the elected
official. Thereafter, if the membership still is unsatisfied with the official's
mishandling of the office, another letter shall be written to the Advisor
requesting immediate removal of the elected official. The Advisor shall call a
special meeting announcing the request. A reasonable attempt must be made to
notify all voting members in writing (i.e. e-mail) or by phone of the removal
request and proposed date of the special meeting. A majority vote of voting
members shall become the deciding factor in the dismissal.
Article IV: Meetings
Meetings shall be held during the academic year as determined
by the Executive Officers. Special meetings shall be called by either of the
president or the Advisor. Meetings are open to the public.
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